


Priorities

by autobotscoutriella



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: Community: fandomweekly, Decepticon Command, Gen, Pre-Canon, Priorities, as in Blackout has exactly one and Starscream has many, they both find this inconvenient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 23:10:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20897675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autobotscoutriella/pseuds/autobotscoutriella
Summary: Blackout has never given up on searching for Megatron. Starscream never wanted to search in the first place.





	Priorities

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [FandomWeekly](https://fandomweekly.dreamwidth.org/253680.html) for the prompt "One-Track Mind".

Holographic planets and galaxies swirled around the_ Nemesis’s_ control room, throwing splashes of shimmering color across the dark floor and walls. Blackout watched the projection carefully, following brightly colored lines that shot out from the central image of Cybertron to tiny unknown planets in every corner.

_So many possibilities._ Megatron could have landed on any one of thousands of planets in hundreds of galaxies. The Decepticons were in better shape than the last band of Autobots he had encountered, but they weren't even remotely well-equipped enough to search that many planets in less than two thousand years.

By that time, Megatron could already be dead or beyond repair.

No. No, there was no need to catastrophize. Megatron had survived everything the war had thrown at him so far; surely a trip through space wouldn’t have changed that. Blackout was sure that he would have _felt_ it, if something had happened to the former Lord Protector. No, Megatron was still alive. It was just a question of locating him.

_Damn Autobots and their damn ideals._ If Optimus Prime had only surrendered the AllSpark when the Decepticons had closed in on Tyger Pax, instead of _launching it into space_ in some misguided attempt to ensure that no one would win if the Autobots couldn’t, none of them would be in this mess. Megatron would still have been there to lead his army, Cybertron would still have some hope of revival, and Blackout could have been on the other side of the planet from his least favorite allies instead of trapped on a too-small ship with them.

"What are _you_ doing in here?"

Speak of the devil.

Blackout turned to glare at Starscream, narrowing his optics as if he could burn right through the jet's plating if he just stared hard enough. "It's the command center. It's hardly private. Never thought I’d see _you_ here, considering your newly developed distaste for cooperation."

"I'm sure you think you're very funny." Starscream strode right through the projection of Cybertron, ignoring the ripple of flashing lights that resulted from the disruption. "What's all this supposed to be?"

Blackout tapped one foot impatiently on the floor. "Possible trajectories for Lord Megatron. Because we need to narrow down his most likely location in order to determine our next course of action? I assume you can understand that concept even if critical thinking isn't your forte."

“You're still working on that?" Starscream sneered, striding forward until he was standing only a foot or two from Blackout. Blackout stood a few feet taller, but Starscream easily outweighed him; the movement was intended to intimidate, and to Blackout's great annoyance, it was working, at least on some level. "And what’s this _we_?”

"_We_ should be focusing on retrieving him as soon as possible. Even you’re bright enough to know that." Despite the urge to back up, Blackout stared into Starscream's face, daring the second in command to get closer. "What happens to the Decepticons without Lord Megatron?”

"_Lord Megatron_ has been gone for two years, and the Decepticons still exist,” Starscream retorted, EM field pushing aggressively against Blackout’s in a silent challenge. “My focus is on retrieving the AllSpark and identifying a new Decepticon base, which is also where _your_ priorities should lie."

Blackout deliberately reached down to the control panel and switched the projections to a higher brightness, re-emphasizing the trajectory lines. "And abandon Lord Megatron? Of course _you’d_ be happy to do that. Luckily for the Decepticon cause, some of us are a little more loyal."

"Loyalty. To what? Our _glorious leader_ is gone," Starscream snapped. "Everyone knows you’re obsessed with his memory or whatever it is you get off on, but do me a favor and keep it in your bunk, not my command center.”

Blackout snarled and took a step forward, pushing into Starscream's space. For a moment, the two stared each other down, engines growling. Blackout broke the standoff first, shoving past Starscream to stalk toward the model of Cybertron. "This isn't _your_ command center. You are only _temporarily_ in command due to Lord Megatron's absence. You should remember that, because _I do,_ and if you try to usurp Lord Megatron, I’ll eliminate you as a problem. Permanently.”

“Big words for a mech who spends his battles leading from the rear." Starscream snorted derisively and stalked toward the door. Despite the mocking tone, he chose a path that kept him from ever quite turning his back on Blackout. "If you're so damn determined, _fine_. Carry on. But don't think your obsession is going to alter our course. We will be searching for the AllSpark, whether Megatron's with it or not, and I will _not_ change my mind on that no matter what threats you make."

"_Lord_ Megatron," Blackout corrected sharply. Starscream smirked.

"Call him what you like. He's long gone."

The door slammed hard behind Starscream. Blackout let out a snort of mingled frustration and impatience and turned back to his projections.

_Red trajectories are unlikely based on what we know of the AllSpark's travel path. Yellow trajectories end at planets that are close enough for him to have returned if he landed there. Green trajectories seem likely..._


End file.
